Health professionals adopting artificial intelligence (AI) scribes and other AI clinical tools have been given new pragmatic resources by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare.
The online guides are designed to provide day-to-day support to help clinicians to use AI safely and responsibly.
The Commission said AI tools can “support a wide range of clinical tasks, improving care delivery, health outcomes, and patient satisfaction”. However, as “an emerging technology in healthcare that is being rapidly implemented, AI can also introduce new risks to patients”.
The guides and associated clinical scenarios are “structured to support the steps of ‘before you use’, ‘while you use’ and ‘after you use’ AI tools”.
“As with all healthcare technologies, clinicians must meet their professional and legal obligations, including Australian Health Professionals Regulatory Authority (Ahpra) and National Boards guidance,” the guides note.
As well as a general clinical use guide, the Commission has released an AI ‘safety scenario’ on the interpretation of medical images, and another on the use of ambient scribes.
On AI scribes, the document notes that “unlike verbatim transcription, ambient AI scribes are intended to record and then use generative AI to summarise a consultation, which is then added to the heath care record… you will need to understand the potential benefits, limitations, and risks; obtain consent; and monitor outcomes and performance”.
The guides are available for free download from the Commission’s website.
